Vote Coming on Constitutional Carry in Iowa House

As the 2014 legislative session has worn on it’s become painfully apparent that we don’t have pro-gun leadership in either the Senate or the House.

Both chambers are filled with legislators on both sides of the aisle who talk a pro-gun talk but refuse to take action.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of being lied to and being used by the political class who then refuses to advance the very issues that I elected them to advance in the first place!

I’m here to tell you, the Iowa House is going to vote on Constitutional Carry one way or the other this week. More on that in a moment.

Here’s where we stand.

The politicians in Des Moines want to go home this year without voting on controversial legislation like Constitutional Carry.

Virtually ALL of them want to vote on cover legislation as they’ve done this year and last year to gain campaign points when they come courting votes later this year.

But they want to avoid, at all costs, being on the record of the tough, substantive bills.

We’ve shown you all the lies, tricks, distortions, and misleading statements that have been pouring out of the House over the last month or so since they allowed Constitutional Carry to expire in their Judiciary Committee.

You’ve heard them all:

“The language doesn’t mean what you think it means,” “The Senate won’t pass it,” “It’s secretly an anti-gun bill,” and on and on and on.

When that didn’t stop you, IGO began to receive legal threats from legislators who want to pursue criminal charges because we’re “harassing” them by having their constituents, folks like yourself, call and email them to insist that they support the 2nd Amendment.

Of course, this isn’t the first time desperate politicians have tried this on us and it’s not going to do anything to stop us from informing you about how your politicians are acting. But it’s important to understand the desperation that these legislators are feeling when it comes to avoiding this tough vote. You see, once they are on the record, EVERYONE will know who supports the 2nd Amendment when it matters, and who does not.

That’s why we are focused on forcing this vote, one way or another.

Here’s how we are going to do it.

Working with our bill sponsor in the House, Rep. Tom Shaw, we’ve identified a procedural rule that he or any legislator can use to force a bill to the Floor for immediate consideration – bypassing the committee process that has been used to kill our legislation so far.

The rule, House Rule 60, simply requires a ‘second’, once invoked, and just like that the legislators of the House will be forced to vote on advancing Constitutional Carry. Rep. Shaw is willing to invoke House Rule 60 and we’ve found a ‘second’ for this motion.

This is where the rubber meets the road, folks.

Those representatives who vote no on this procedural measure are voting to kill Constitutional Carry and restrict your gun rights. It’s that simple.

Of course there will be multiple excuses offered up for why they really are not anti-gun. We’ll be forewarning you of these in our next email.

But for now, please understand that if your representative has told you that “I’m with you, I’ll vote for it on the floor” or “You know I’m pro-gun, get this bill out of Committee and I’ll support it” now is his/her chance.

We are making this very simple.

They can vote on this and stand up for your gun rights or they can worry about advancing within their party ranks at the Capitol. There won’t be a third option. Please just do one thing to defend gun rights today:

Send an email to your representative and firmly tell him/her that the time for promises and assurances, or lies and half-truths is over.

Sometime this week he/she will have the chance to vote on Constitutional Carry – and you expect them to vote yes – no matter what pressure party leadership exerts over him/her.

Feel free to use the pre-written email that we’ve included at the base of this email. This is the time. It’s an election year. Soon you will have to make a decision about who to send back to Des Moines to represent you in the Iowa House.

Before you’re hit up for volunteer hours, money, and your vote from your legislator, make sure he/she understands that you expect him or her to represent you by voting in support of Constitutional Carry.

Please send your emails today!

For Freedom,

Aaron Dorr Executive Director

P.S. After months of waiting and with little response but hostility from House leadership, Iowa Gun Owners has found a way for our bill sponsor, Rep. Tom Shaw, to force the House to vote on Constitutional Carry legislation (HF2284!)

House Rule 60 allows ANY legislator to advance ANY legislation to the floor for immediate consideration and bypass the hostile committee process.

Working with Rep. Shaw, we will be working to obtain a vote on Constitutional Carry this week.

In the coming days you’ll be given a chance to vote on Constitutional Carry legislation – and I strongly urge you to vote yes.

Constitutional Carry legislation simply removes the requirement for me to obtain government permission to carry a handgun for self-defense.

This is law today in states like Alaska, Vermont, Arkansas, Wyoming, Arizona and most portions of Montana and Idaho. Incidentally, these are some of the safest states in the country.

Rep. Shaw will be moving this bill (HF2284) to the Floor via a Rule 60 procedural move and I want you to know that I will be watching this closely. I will view your vote to move this bill to the floor via Rule 60 as a pro- or anti-gun vote.

Please support this legislation at every point in the process, both procedurally and substantively.

Sincerely,

Iowa Gun Owners is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms through an aggressive grassroots program designed to mobilize public opposition to anti-gun legislation. The address for Iowa Gun Owners is PO Box 3585, Des Moines, IA 50323. You can call us at 515-309-7858. Our website can be located at www.IowaGunOwners.org.

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